Viti

I was looking at a program called "The 6 Week Body Makeover". It looks like it has some similarity to the "Metabolic Type Diet" Basically they state that some people perform and feel better on Atkins type low carb diets, and others do better on low-fat etc based on their individual metabolisms. It also includes simple, specific resistance excercises using thos bands. What do you all think? The before and after testimonies look convincing but I remain skeptical of any claims...including the Atkins insulin stuff.

I will tell you, I used to be called "Da Bones" and could not gain weight...remaining around 100 lbs until I turned 28 or so. I have restricted my diet to about 1500 calories for the last 60 days and increased my excercise and activity and haven't lost one pound. I think it is related to aging and metabolism changes but all the information I can find doesn't agree with each other so I am at a loss

brighid

Omega 3 to omega 6 ratios in healthy populations range from 1:2.5 (Inuit diets) to 6:1 (other traditional diets). Since 1850, omega 3 consumption has decreased to one-sixth its traditional level, resulting in an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of 20:1 (contemporary polyunsaturated oil diets), associated with degenerative conditions.
Flax, our richest source of omega 3, quickly replenishes a long-standing omega 3 deficiency. A dozen 8 oz. bottles of good quality flax oil consumed over the course of a few months will suffice.
Long--term exclusion or excessive use of flax oil can result in omega 6 deficiency after about two years, because flax oil is omega 3 rich but omega 6 poor.
If a person has cancer, inflammatory conditions, or needs to lose weight, omega 3 should be favored. Otherwise, an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio between 1:2 and 1:3 is suitable.
Processing EFAs
<a href="http://www.ephca.com/efa-thf.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ephca.com/efa-thf.htm</a>

Americans are near the bottom of the normal w3 range, at the 20th percentile, which reflects the high level of linoleic acid (w6) and low level of w3 in the American diet. New evidence within the scientific literature has linked this type of diet to 'Western' type diseases such as atherosclerosis, many cancers and diabetes… The typical American consumes approximately 6 to 9% of caloric intake (15-20 grams) as linoleic acid (18:2w6 or LA). This amount is several fold higher than what is estimated as required for optimal health. Diets high in LA (w6) suppress the metabolism and accretion of w3 fatty acids. This laboratory has proposed the concept of "w6 induced w3 deficiency" and its correlation with chronic disease and inflammatory type conditions as a result of these dietary habits.
<a href="http://www.hi.umn.edu/annual98/rth-res.html" target="_blank">http://www.hi.umn.edu/annual98/rth-res.html</a>

The critical omega-3 mega-6 ratio
Evidence that omega-3 fats are critical to health first surfaced in studies of the Inuit (Eskimos) of northern Canada and Greenland. Eating a traditional diet of fish and seal blubber, these peoples obtained up to two thirds of daily calories from fat. Yet heart disease was rare. Investigators believe that the high level of omega-3 fats in the fish protected the Inuit against heart disease.
The absolute amount of omega-3 fats in the diet, however, may be less important. More critical, you need to balance the amount of omega-3 with the amount of omega-6 fats. The ratio of omega 3 mega-6 fats in the traditional Inuit diet was about 1:2.5. The corresponding ratio in the average American diet is about 1:20.
Nutritionists don’t know the best ratio for optimum health, except that 1:20 ratio seems unbalanced. Since Americans get sufficient omega-6 fatty acids in their diet, the practical challenge is to eat more of the omega-3 fatty acids.
Boost omega-3 fatty acids in your diet
Fresh fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Because of expense and possible toxic chemical contamination, however, you may not care to eat more than one fish meal a week Meat also provides both omega-3 and omega-6 fats. But meat delivers a large amount of saturated fat that can overwhelm the two essential fats. True even for the leanest cuts.
Plant sources are your best bet. Of the common cooking oils, canola and soybean, contain the highest percentage). There is a catch. As already mentioned, commercial processing destroys linolenic acid.
<a href="http://www.smartnutritionguide.com/omega-3.htm" target="_blank">http://www.smartnutritionguide.com/omega-3.htm</a>

B

Dr Rick

...Speaking of dietary fads. :

A little background is in order. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid are considered "essential" in that they play key roles in arachidonic acid pathways that produce prostaglandins and other cytokines and may play an important role in the devolopment of the central nervous system of human infants. Neither one of these can be synthesized de novo by humans

Pharmacologic doses of these compounds and their congeners appear to alter inflammatory processes and are the subject of ongoing research, but it is fallacious to conclude from the available data that inflammatory or "degenerative" conditions are caused by a deficiency of these compounds.

"Degenerative conditions"? Which ones are associated with this ratio change and are cured by correcting it?

<strong> Assuming one has such a rare deficiency in the first place. Did you know that prior to the advent of total IV nutrition, there was not one single known case of EFA deficiency in an adult, and those few since reported have only occured in those relying completely upon IV nutrition?

The EFA's are ubiquitous in animal and vegetable fats and are readily stored by humans; a disease state due to an EFA dietary deficiency cannot occur in adults in the absence of prolonged starvation or long-term (many months) IV nutrition as the sole source of calories.

<strong> How does one know this to be true?

<strong> Epidemiologic data does not demonstrate causality.

BTW, did you know that the Japanese, who typically have a "non-Western" diet, have much higher rates of strokes, liver cancers, and esophageal cancers than Americans?

Rick

[ July 10, 2002: Message edited by: rbochnermd ]</p>

Mageth

Over the last few months, I've lost about 15 pounds (from 175 to 160).

My diet? Eat less (but well-balanced). Exercise more.

Particularly I quit going out to lunch every day and cut down on snacks. Most days I have some fruit, a salad or a V-8 juice for lunch.

The Other Michael

Hi Mageth,

I think one of the biggest helps is just being aware of what you eat. It's really easy to get into the habit of the pastry, candybar, bag of crisps once or twice a day, or the 3 heaping spoonfuls of sugar in the coffee, etc etc.

But that doesn't count when you are looking at how good you are at the "regular" meals.

cheers,
Michael

brighid

Here is some more information about the GI ratings of food, their stimulation of insulin, insulin’s role in body fat production and it’s relationship to obesity ..etc.

<a href="http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/Focus/2002/Feb8_2002/endocrinology.html" target="_blank">http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/Focus/2002/Feb8_2002/endocrinology.html</a> - leptin, insulin and obesity

<a href="http://home.caregroup.org/newsnow/pr_out.asp?pr_id=253" target="_blank">http://home.caregroup.org/newsnow/pr_out.asp?pr_id=253</a> - cortisol and visceral obesity

A relatively new concern is glycemic load, which results from carbohydrates that increase blood sugar levels. The USDA Food Pyramid promotes eating complex carbohydrates without differentiating among them, but there are major differences between carbohydrates.
"For example, the body breaks down glucose in a potato more rapidly than pure sugar, spiking glucose levels in the blood and increasing the risk of diabetes…People also tend to replace fat in their diets with foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. A lot of people think that a plain bagel with jam can be a healthy thing to eat in the morning, but actually that is one of the unhealthiest duos you can eat because it has a high glycemic load. You’d be better off with scrambled eggs cooked in corn oil or a whole-grain cereal."
<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/aug24/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/aug24/index.html</a>

Insulin is essential to converting sugar (glucose) in food into energy and because the body breaks down glucose at varying rates (according to the GI index) high glycemic foods cause a spike in insulin (glucose level in blood) and thereby increase risk of diabetes and obesity. Furthermore because more glucose is available in the blood stream as an affect of high GI foods the body will not burn as much body fat during exercise because of this readily available source of energy. For those people interested in fat loss (and depending on their age, gender, and lean body mass to body fat ratios) high GI foods should be monitored. High insulin levels in the blood cause an increase in body fat production, as well as glycogen stored in muscles for fuel. If you are overweight you want to use the extra fat as fuel, not additional glycogen. <a href="http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci312/Endocrin/Inslect.htm" target="_blank">http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci312/Endocrin/Inslect.htm</a>

The GI of foods is also a factor in heart disease and was more important then the classification of a food as a simple or complex carb. “It's also worth mentioning that the increased risk of CHD associated with high GI foods was seen mostly in women with an average or above average weight. There was little link between glycemic index and CHD in women with low body weight.
This explains why certain populations with a low prevalence of obesity (rural China for example), are at less risk for CHD despite their consumption of a high carbohydrate diet.” <a href="http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/carbohydrateandCHD.htm" target="_blank">http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/carbohydrateandCHD.htm</a>

“In the United States, consumption of high calorie, high glycemic, nutrient- deficient, high fat foods is the norm. Moderating consumption of high glycemic foods not only reduces your chances of developing diabetes, it also reduces stored body fat and helps keep energy levels high.”. Ann de Wees Allen, Chief of Biomedical Research,Glycemic Research Institute, Washington, D.C


I will address the questions in your post later Robert, but I may not have time today.

Brighid

Dr Rick

"Robert"?

Insulin does not cause obesity; consumption of calories in excess of bodily needs causes obesity. It doesn't matter if those excess calories come from foods with either a high or low glycemic index, though the former may induce more caloric craving. One can lose weight by decreasing daily caloric intake to levels that are below daily requirements.

There is no clinical evidence that imbibing protein or vitamin supplements or modifying EFA intake ratios augments weight loss or significantly alters the lean body mass composition of obese Americans.

There is clinical evidence that a high-protein, low-carbohydrate weight-loss diet such as the Atkins Diet may be more effacacious than a conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight-loss diet.

Insulin levels may play a role in atherosclerosis, hence the putative link between glycemic index and coronary artery disease.

Rick

[ July 14, 2002: Message edited by: rbochnermd ]</p>

brighid

I’m sorry if I put down the wrong name – for whatever reason I mentally correlate you with the name Robert.

Could you please re-read what I posted. I and the researchers that I quoted, including those from Harvard state that insulin production plays A role in obesity and for those people who are already overweight, and thereby trying to loose weight these factors can be important. Furthermore, the research on GI of foods seems to disagree with your statements that it has NO bearing on weight gain and loss, obesity and the diseases caused by obesity.

Weight loss is more complicated then simply don’t put as many calories into your mouth and up your exercise and voila you automatically loose weight. It is the baseline figure to work from but it is not the end all and be all of weight loss. Perhaps you can provide some of the research you are aware of that disputes what I have posted so I can research it. Especially because it conflicts so much with what I am being taught by ACSM and ACE while pursuing my Personal Trainer certification AND because there seems to be an overwhelming body of evidence that is in disagreement with your statements. I don’t wish to be ill informed on these issues or pass along incomplete or inaccurate information to those I will eventually be helping to achieve their weight loss and fitness goals.

B

Vesica

Few can protest that the Adkins diet does not work...It does, At least I have seen many people lose weight on it...

I have problems with the fact that while you are on it ketones appear in your urine. Considering the medical reasons why ketones appear in your urine...I have to wonder if tricking your body into "rapid or excessive fatty acid breakdown. As with glucose, ketones are present in the urine when the blood levels surpass a certain threshold."

I don't understand why it is a good idea to trick your body into thinking it is starving...

Here is a web page that adresses:<a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003585.htm" target="_blank">Ketones in Urine</a>

Dr Rick

None of the quotes or links you posted support the claims you make and which I dispute. I hate to say this, but I really don't think you understand what you are reading, Brighid. The research does not disagree with what I am saying; rather, you are misinterpreting laboratory and epidemiologic research and making or accepting unsubstantiated claims regarding the practical applications of these findings.

Part of the problem I see is that you have jumped from one assertion to another without taking the time to fully assess each one. You have posted claims about EFA deficiencies, the glycemic index, and insulin which are unsubstantiated.

Let's look at one example and see if your link supports your assertion:

Here is what your "Harvard" link actually says about insulin and obesity:

"Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, and weight loss can often improve insulin's abilities to clear glucose from the blood..."

Notice that there is no assertion, implicit or otherwise, that insulin or "a quick spike in insulin" causes obesity; rather, the statement correctly indicates that obesity affects the way the body responds to insulin, and these affects can be improved by weight loss.

"...Several studies in animals suggest that excess lipid is to blame for the insulin resistance--not the kind stored in fat cells but lipids that accumulate in other tissues like skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreatic beta cells..."

Once again, its not insulin that is causing the problem, but the lipids causing abnormalities in the response the body has to insulin

"...But why this glut of lipids impedes insulin action is uncertain..."

Ditto

"...This direct path of leptin action also establishes an important link to insulin resistance and diabetes. It is well established that the accrual of lipid in muscle is associated with insulin resistance, and obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes..."

Insulin isn't being impuned as the causitive agent for obesity; obesity is being correctly labeled as a factor that affects the response to insulin.

Rick

[ July 11, 2002: Message edited by: rbochnermd ]</p>